Tattoo vs. Fat who wins?

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golope
golope Posts: 54
in Health and Weight Loss
I know that when you gain a lot of weight in an area that you have a tattoo it will stretch out and appear blurry. I have a tattoo in an area where I'm starting to lose weight. Anyone know what will happen to it? Will it shrink to the point of being unreadable? Mine does have some words.

I'm just curious if anyone else has run into this issue. I was about 185 when I got it, I'm 179 now so no changes yet, but if I hit my goal weight of 140 I imagine it will change...

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  • golope
    golope Posts: 54
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    BUMP

    Isn't there anyone else out there who has this issue? lol
  • taramaureen
    taramaureen Posts: 569 Member
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    Mine are all on my back but when I got the first one I was bigger, I gained more weight (pregnancy), then lost it plus some and it was fine. My second tattoo I got when I was smaller, I gained weight (pregnancy), then lost some and it looks just the same as well.
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
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    I have a tattoo on my stomach. I gained 40 pounds and lost 30, and it always looked the same. But, it doesn't have a lot of fine detail. Your ticker says you want to lose 26 pounds total - if that's correct then I don't think you have to worry.
  • golope
    golope Posts: 54
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    Thanks for the comments! Yeah, I broke my ticker up into 25lb increments. It just looked too overwhelming to me to see 50lbs on that. When I lose the remaining 19 that it shows now, I actually have another 25 to go. :(
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,248 Member
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    The one on my belly looks fine after 30#.
  • jennifer2977
    jennifer2977 Posts: 156
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    My tattoo guy told me that it's better to get it when you're bigger, as it will shrink with the skin, but of you get them when you're smaller and gain a considerable amount of weight, it could stretch and distort. I did see one that distorted only on one side. You should be fine based on your ticker.
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
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    Thanks for the comments! Yeah, I broke my ticker up into 25lb increments. It just looked too overwhelming to me to see 50lbs on that. When I lose the remaining 19 that it shows now, I actually have another 25 to go. :(
    I'm just guessing, but I think even 50 pounds would be ok. I think it's more likely to distort from gaining weight than losing. If nobody here knows from experience, maybe you could stop by your local tattoo parlor and ask them what they think.
  • timmymon
    timmymon Posts: 304 Member
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    I have tattoos on my arms and legs. So far I have lost about 85 pounds overall and nothing has happened to them. Granted they are on my arms, but I was worried that the inside part of my arm would change when I lost weight. i have been lifting weights so I have not really changed in size so much in the areas where I have tattoos.
  • PlunderBunneh
    PlunderBunneh Posts: 1,705 Member
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    I wouldn't worry too much about it, I don't think that with that small of an amount your are going to see much of a change at all, unless it is in a very weight-centric place. 50 pounds isn't bad at all, you've got this.
    I have noticed that the turtle on the inside of my wrists are a bit less round, but I don't think anyone else would notice.
    The best advice I can offer is to keep the skin moisturized and, as always, avoid unprotected sun exposure.
  • Pocket_Pixi
    Pocket_Pixi Posts: 1,167 Member
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    My tattoo guy told me that it's better to get it when you're bigger, as it will shrink with the skin, but of you get them when you're smaller and gain a considerable amount of weight, it could stretch and distort. I did see one that distorted only on one side. You should be fine based on your ticker.

    I have several tattoos, and I was talking to my artist and I mentioned I was losing weight and that I was worried about them as time goes on and she confirmed this. She said that being as I was bigger when I got them distortion should be pretty minimal, but I also got them on my feet, forearms, collar bone, shoulder and upper arm.
  • jkmurphy06
    jkmurphy06 Posts: 28 Member
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    My tattoo has very fine detail and is on my stomach/hip, after a 20lb weight loss it did shrink and shift slightly to the right as the skin got tighter, but it didn't lose it's over all shape or any detail. Good luck!
  • Cosmic_Unicorn
    Cosmic_Unicorn Posts: 150 Member
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    Mine are all the same after 60 pounds of weight loss, and a bit of weight gain at the start. That being said, my tattoos are on my wrist, upper back, ankle, and calf, and I don't remember those places being trouble areas for fat for me, haha.
  • DollHouseKiera
    DollHouseKiera Posts: 46
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    Of my many tattoos, only a few have seemed to change with weight loss. As with anything tattoo related, your mileage may vary. Most of mine have seemed to shift a little, and my sleeve is starting to condense slightly, but I seem to be the only person that notices that.

    My nutritionist did comment that one of my neck tattoos seems to be moving evertime she sees me and it freaks her out a bit...

    With my ink's slight movement at 125 lbs, your weight may not be drastic enough to make much difference... and if it does, there's always a re-do/cover-up option =)

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